'Facts matter less': Israel, Huckabee slam UK foreign secretary over Gaza medicine claims

Israel’s Foreign Ministry and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee criticized Britain’s Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, on Saturday over remarks he made about conditions facing residents of the Gaza Strip.

Miliband, who is Jewish, wrote that he believed that what is happening in Gaza is "horrifying."

"The stories I was told, about medicines being blocked from getting in, about children dying while waiting for vital, life-saving treatment," he added.

“When you hear an account like that of what is happening, you understand that we, as the British government, as the prime minister has said, have to act, and act more decisively than we have until now.”

Foreign Ministry hits out at UK FM Miliband

Israel’s Foreign Ministry responded to Miliband in a post on X, accusing him of spreading false information.

“The British foreign secretary publishes a video in which he recounts ‘stories’ he was told about Gaza. Had the foreign secretary been interested in facts rather than stories, he would have known that there are no restrictions whatsoever on bringing medicines into the Gaza Strip, and that no medicine is being blocked.”

The Foreign Ministry also described the supply of medical equipment to Gaza residents, saying that "22,500 tons of medical supplies have entered Gaza since the ceasefire began."

"Gaza residents leave the Strip for medical treatment, including 200 who did so in the past two weeks alone. Of course, the British foreign secretary is well aware of all this, since Britain is a member of the international support center for Gaza, which assists in transferring medical aid into the Strip," the ministry added.

“But apparently, facts matter less (when producing a video for a political audience),” the post concluded.

'The Brits have lost it': Huckabee speaks out against Miliband's video on Gaza

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee backed the Foreign Ministry, writing: “the Brits have lost it. Their government’s Jew hatred knows no bounds and recognizes no facts.”

Earlier on Saturday, Huckabee, known as one of the most outspoken supporters of the settlement enterprise, made an unusual visit to the Palestinian town of Turmus Ayya in the Ramallah area, the US Embassy said.

Huckabee met with local residents, including relatives of US citizens who were killed by settlers. Turmus Ayya, where roughly 80% of residents hold US citizenship, has in recent years become one of the most prominent flashpoints in the West Bank, with residents facing a wave of raids and violent attacks.

The ambassador said he met with Americans in Turmus Ayya as part of an open and constructive discussion “to hear troubling stories about criminal and terrorist acts by a group of trespassers, who brazenly roam the lands of lawful property owners like these people. Shameful acts that do not reflect 99% of Israelis.”